Learning at SMTA International

SMTA International is right around the corner! We look forward meeting you Sept. 25-29 in Chicago. We’ll be there with our partner Tharium Co. displaying the latest and greatest in x-ray and video inspection. Come to check out an ALL NEW X-Ray Machine in booth 713 and new video systems in booth 239!

In this workshop we will cover the manufacturing of the most challenging surface mount parts to assemble and inspect today: LEDs, BGAs, and QFNs. The workshop will focus on the pitfalls of manufacturing and inspecting PCBs with these devices.

How LED material handling and storage impact assembly performance

LED x-ray inspection: How voids cost you money

Case study: How lack of quality killed a successful LED company

Process design for BGA and QFN assembly and rework

BGA and QFN x-ray inspection: How to see what often goes wrong

X-Ray as a tool for quality process design and control

X-ray Inspection of Lead and Lead-free Solder Joints

September 27, 2:30PM

X-Rays are widely used to inspect solder joints in the electronics industry. As aerospace companies consider the shift to lead-free solder alloys and glues, concerns have been raised about whether their current x-ray inspection and quality-control procedures will still be valid. With lead solder, joints are easily interpreted by the operator or the system imaging software because lead provides excellent image contrasts due to relatively high X-ray absorption compared to that of PCB and component materials.

Industry Intelligence from Teardowns ofIoT and Wearables Devices

September 27, 5:00PM

The impulse to break a new gadget to “see what’s inside” is often the first sign someone will become an engineer. However, modern teardowns go far beyond pure curiosity: they provide us critical insights into the nature and construction of these devices. In this talk we will cover the teardown of several IoT and wearable devices, from the early Blackberries to the Apple Watch, to understand how the SMT industry has changed. These findings will also help us forecast where we are going as a community by discussing miniaturization and packaging, automation and labor force location, device features, and other important topics. These are key issues we need to address to keep U.S. SMT manufacturing relevant.